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Hi all, thanks in advance for any tips you can offer. I’m not an experienced auto mechanic, but I can follow directions, work with tools, etc. I have a 1984 GL wagon, 4sp w dual range 4wd, 180k miles, that I acquired from a neighbor for cheap. It’s somewhat beat up, but I really like it- if you’re here I’m sure you understand the appeal. I’m lucky enough to live in Portland so Subaru parts and shops are relatively plentiful. I am willing to spend a little more than is rational, but don’t want to get too carried away. The car came to me with a bad engine knock. I tore the motor down and found the #2 rod bearing was very dead. Crank and cam look pretty bad, I’m guessing they’re irreparable, and there were bits of bearing in the oil pan. The block looks good, considering- a couple of the main bearings were a bit beat up, but didn’t seem to have spun or otherwise marred their seats. I don’t have the experience to do the ej swap, nor is the car clean enough to put that kind of money into. My initial plan was to find a used ea81 to plunk in there, but I’m not having much luck finding a viable runner. Now I’m wondering how these engines do after being rebuilt after rod bearing failure. Is it even worth looking into sourcing parts and having the block bored/decked? If I’m going to go to all the trouble, should I just start with a $300 junkyard engine that probably didn’t have as big a problem as mine did? The other option I see is to sell off the Weber and other decent parts for about what I have into the car, and start over with a different car. I really like the ea81 wagons and definitely want one, and am not afraid of doing some work to make one go. What do you recommend I do? Thanks again!
